Downey wows South Koreans on 'Iron Man 3' tour

Friday

Apr 5, 2013 at 8:11 PM

Stars of the locally filmed movie have hit the road on a monthlong publicity tour to promote the big-budget blockbuster.

By Cassie FossCassie.Foss@StarNewsOnline.com

The locally filmed “Iron Man 3” won't open in theaters in Wilmington until the first week of May, but the film's stars – including leading man Robert Downey Jr. – have already hit the road on a monthlong publicity tour to promote the big-budget blockbuster.The blitz launched in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday – which also happened to be Downey's 48th birthday. He celebrated in true Tony Stark fashion – decked out in a snazzy tuxedo among thousands of screaming fans. (In regular human fashion, he had a wardrobe malfunction when he walked the red carpet with his fly down.)But that was just a blip in the celebration.He continued the party in style when he invited a young fan to cut his huge “Iron Man”-themed birthday cake with a giant samurai sword.Next up for the actor will be an event in Beijing on Saturday.This week, Marvel announced plans to release a second, special Chinese version of the film featuring Chinese actress and model Fan Bingbing. Another Chinese actor – Wang Xueqi (“Bodyguards & Assassins”) – will appear in both the studio's Chinese version and in its international and U.S. version. Both films also will include footage filmed in Beijing this past December.On April 10, Downey and Ben Kingsley, who plays the tech-savvy villain The Mandarin in the film, will greet fans in Moscow, according to the Los Angeles Times.After stops in Munich, Paris and London, the tour concludes with the Los Angeles premiere of the movie at the El Capitan in Hollywood on April 24, and a New York debut featuring Downey on April 29.The film will even open in theaters in South Korea on April 25. Plans for a Chinese release have not been announced.The Marvel Studios/Disney production kicked off shooting May 23 at Wilmington's EUE/Screen Gems Studios and filmed at New Hanover Regional Medical Center and the on Cape Fear River, among other local spots.